OCD Treatment with Low Dose IV Ketamine
Over the past century, treatments for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) have rapidly evolved. OCD was classified as a distinct anxiety disorder in the early 1900s, and since then Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) have become mainstream therapy. However, this treatment is effective in only 40% to 50% of patients.
New research suggests that medically-supervised Ketamine infusion therapy could help to bring relief to a significant proportion of people with OCD. In some trials, a single low dose of Ketamine was followed by an immediate decrease in OCD symptoms, with effects lasting up to a week. This can be a life-changing experience with one infusion.
OCD is characterized by uncontrollable recurring thoughts (obsessions), and relentlessly repeating behaviors (compulsions). Individuals seek routines to minimize psychological triggers, and accommodate compulsive behaviors. The obsessions and compulsions can overwhelm patients and their families. OCD often affects young people, and can co-exist with other mental illnesses. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that at any time in the United States, one adult in 100 has some type of OCD.
Researchers are investigating the physiology of Ketamine’s reduction of OCD symptoms. Patients with OCD tend to have higher levels of glutamate in their brains, so blocking this neurotransmitter should reduce the signs and symptoms of this disorder. Ketamine moderates the effects of glutamate—directly, by blocking NMDA, an important receptor for glutamate, and indirectly by also blocking the AMPA, another glutamate receptor, via a Ketamine metabolite. Ketamine also has a regenerating effect on synapses within the brain, perhaps reconnecting them in a non-OCD pattern.
Ketamine Therapy for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Arizona Ketamine Treatment and Research Institute (AKTARI) offers medically-supervised Ketamine therapy for OCD. If you or someone you know is living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Contact us, or Call today at 480–626–2727 for more information regarding treatment or to schedule an appointment.
“Obsessive-compulsive disorder was debilitating Jerry Rivas…he would spend endless hours every day organizing his posters, comic books, and videos…After his first infusion of ketamine: ‘I felt like for the first time, I was able to function like a regular person.’”
Dr. Carolyn Rodriguez, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University
“Many studies have confirmed that Ketamine usually works even when other drugs have failed. One participant, with this positive response to the infused Ketamine, told me ‘I feel as if the weight of OCD has been lifted… I want to feel this way forever’.”
Dr. Carolyn Rodriguez, Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University